Prisoner
by L.O.A.D
Summary: AU Season three. Prince Zuko is taken prisoner by Team Avatar and Ozai sends Azula on a mission to rescue him. But Azula has her own plans for what will occur when she finds her brother.
1. Captured

**This is an AU fic. It happens in season three, not sure when exactly, but after 'Awakening' and before 'Black Sun part 1'. Probably won't be shipping, but if there is, Cannon pairings hold (no Zutara). For the most part, Cannon holds up until the events of this story, with one future exception (you'll see what that is later on). Though I'm not sure as to whether or not I'll include Combustion Man. Enjoy, and review.**

Crown Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was walking alone through a small Fire Nation village. He was alone, and wearing a hooded robe and the clothes of a commoner. He had his dual swords with him in case he met danger that his firebending couldn't fix. He knew his father wouldn't have approved, but he didn't care. If he was going to rule these people, he would need to understand them. Keeping the hood up over his head, he walked through the street. As he walked, a boy caught his eye. The boy had hair and was wearing a headband, but Zuko would have recognized his face anywhere. The Avatar. Zuko sucked in his breath and ducked into an alley. When he was sure that The Avatar hadn't seen him, he came out from his hiding place and began to follow him, his mind racing. As far as his dad knew, The Avatar had died in Ba Sing Se. And Zuko was the one who had killed him. If his father found out The Avatar was still alive... Zuko shook his head. He would need to finish the job, right here, right now.

* * *

Aang was walking through the market when he saw a familiar face. Zuko. And from the looks of it, Zuko had seen him too. The prince had hid an alley for a moment but came back out when Aang didn't react to seeing him. In the instant he had seen Zuko, Aang decided to go back to Sokka, Toph and Katara. He headed back to their camp, with Zuko following him.

"Guys!" Aang said. They, minus Toph, looked up at him.

"Aang?" Katara asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's Zuko," Aang said. "He saw me in the village and he's following me now." Katara's gaze narrowed.

"Then we need to go," she said. She was about to get onto Appa when Sokka spoke.

"Hold on," he said, raising one hand to tell them to stop. "This may not be such a bad thing. Zuko's the prince, right?" Everyone nodded. "Well, if we're able to capture him, we might be able to force the Fire Nation into a truce." Katara stared at him.

"And how do you propose we do that?" She asked. "Wait in the trees until he arrives then throw a net on him?"

"She has a point Sokka," Toph said. "How are we suppose to contain him." Sokka picked up a stick and began to draw in the dirt.

"Here's the plan," he said. He drew a stick figure meant to be Zuko. "We wait in the trees until Zuko comes. Then, when he least suspects it, Aang and Toph form a ball of earth around him." He drew a circle around the figure. "And then we just keep him in there until he wears himself out."

"What about his firebending?" Katara asked.

"That's the beauty of it!" Sokka said. "We'll turn his bending against him! While he's in the earth ball, everytime he firebends, the ball gets hotter. Once he's trapped, he won't be able to bend without cooking himself."

"You know," Katara said, "this isn't that bad a plan." Sokka smiled until he realized the thinly veiled insult included in her words.

"Alright," he said. "Into the trees." They climbed into the trees and waited for Zuko. Eventually, the prince arrived. Using eartbending, Toph and Aang followed Sokka's plan and trapped the prince in a sphere of rocks.

* * *

Zuko ran through the forest until he reached a clearing. There was The Avatar's bison, but no one else. Too late did he realize that it was a trap. The ground he was standing on came up and surrounded him, trapping him. He firebent at the sphere but it had no impact. Enraged he kept firebending, the temperature within the sphere rising with each blast. But still it would not give. After a few more blasts he noticed the air was becoming stale, and he was having trouble breathing. His eyes widened and he looked around to see if there were any holes, any way for air to enter the prison. To his horror, there weren't. The sphere had a limited amount of air and he had used most of it to power his flames. He gasped, trying to take a gulp of air. He tried to firebend again, but only a small flame came out. he wiped the swaet from his brow as panic came over him. He remembered what his uncle had said about the power of firebending coming from the breath. He coughed and sank down, bringing his knees to his chest. Couldn't breath. Couldn't firebend. He coughed again, his vision blurring as the prince suffocated. He weakly tried another fire blast before slipping into unconciousness.

* * *

Toph had been listenign to the prince's heartbeat closely and knew the moment he had passed out. Once she wa sure the danger was gone, she opened the earth ball. Sure enough, laying on the ground unconcious, was Prince Zuko. They all looked down at him then at each other.

"Now what?" Aang asked. "We tie him up and bring him with us?"

"We won't be able tie him up," Sokka said. "Toph, you know those earth gloves the Dai Li use?" Toph nodded. "Well, do you think you'd be able to restrain him by using something similar?"

"No problem," Toph said. Soon, Zuko's hands were bound behind his back with earth. Sokka then picked up the prince and tossed him into Appa's saddle.

"Now let's get out of here before someone spots us," he said. They all got onto Appa and Aang grabbed hold of the reigns.

"Yip-yip!" He yelled and Appa took off. Little did they know, as they left they were being watched by two Fire Nation soldiers.

"What do we do?" One of them asked.

"Contact the Firelord," the other said. "And tell him his son has been taken prisoner."


	2. Mission

Azula walked towards her dad's chamber. She had just been called there on important family business. She walked into the room and knelt before the flaming platform.

"What is it Father?" She asked.

"Princess Azula," Firelord Ozai said. "I have recently recieved some unsettling news. It would appear that The Avatar is alive." Azula looked up at him, feigning shock. In all honesty, she had already known this. The moment Zuko had hesitated in answering her question she knew that somehow The Avatar had survived her strike.

"But, how can this be?" She asked. "I watched Zuko deliver the killing blow himself." Azula lowered her head and smiled. Good old Zuzu. He was always good for shifting the blame onto.

"That would be the second half of this disturbing revelation," Ozai continued. "It seems that, not only is The Avatar still alive, but that he and his friends have captured your brother, Prince Zuko." Azula looked back up.

"What?" She asked. Ozai nodded.

"That is why I have summoned you here," he said. "I have little doubt that this is a plan of theirs to force me into a negotiation, but I refuse to let it come to that. I want you to rescue your brother and take The Avatar and his friends prisoner. You are then to bring them to the Fire Nation to face my justice." Azula bowed her head again.

"Yes Father," she said. "I will set off on my search before sundown tonight."

"Very good," Ozia said. "Now leave to ready yourself." Azula nodded and stood up, leaving the chamber. Standing just outside were two of her Dai Li agents.

"My brother's gotten himself captured by The Avatar," Azula told them calmly as they walked. "Ready the other agents. My father has told me to rescue him." The agents nodded.

"Should we send word to Mai and Ty Lee?" One of the Dai Li agents asked. "They may prove useful."

"Perhaps," Azula said, "though Mai may be too close to this mission. I'd much rather keep what little emotions she has out of this. After all," Azula smiled to herself. "It would be such a shame if poor Zuzu didn't make it home."

* * *

Azula and her agents stood in the clearing that Zuko had last been seen in. She examined the ground and noticed six foot prints. She looked them over before turning to her agents.

"They went this way," she said, pointing in the direction the foot prints were facing.

"But there's nothing in that direction," one of the agents said. Azula turned and glared at the man.

"There's an ocean, isn't there?" She asked. "They're using their Sky Bison, which, in case you have forgotten, can _fly_."

"Sorry Princess," the man stuttered. Azula sighed.

"Ready a ship," she said. "We're chasing the Avatar."

* * *

Aang and his friends were flying on Appa with the still unconcious Fire prince when Sokka noticed a plume of smoke off in the distance.

"What is it?" Katara asked.

"It looks like a Fire Nation ship," he said.

"That's not just any ship," a voice said. They turned and saw that Zuko had woken up. He was sitting with his arms behind his back, glaring at the group. "It's my sister's."


	3. Waking Up

Slowly Zuko's senses returned to him. The first thing he noticed was that his hands were bound behind his back with rocks. The second thing he noticed was that he was hundred of feet above the ocean. That wasn't a very pleasent feeling to wake up to. Finally, he noticed his four captors. And what they were looking at. They were facing away from him (at that moment he had the sickening realization that no one was actually controlling the bison) and looking at the ocean behind them. Rising from the ocean was a plume of black smoke. Craning his neck, he saw the ship it was coming out of. Azula's. He sucked in his breath, unsure as to whether or not this was a good thing.

"What is it?" He heard Katara ask.

"It looks like a Fire Nation ship," he brother answered. Zuko sighed and spoke up.

"That's not just any ship," he said. They turned and looked at him. Zuko's gaze narrowed. "It's my sister's." There was a collective groan from the group.

"Way to go Sokka," Toph said. "'Let's kidnap the Fire prince,' you said. Now we have Azula chasing us."

"Hey! How was I supposed to know the Firelord would send her after us," he defended.

"She must be here to rescue her brother," Katara said, causing Zuko to scoff.

"You obviously don't know my sister," he said. "She'd just as soon kill me as rescue me."

"Guys," Aang said, sounding frightened. "I'd really rather if we didn't need to fight her. Remember what happened the last time."

"If you don't mind me asking," Zuko cut in, "what exactly _is_ your plan?" Sokka smiled.

"Well," he said. "First we kidnap the Firelords son," he pointed at Zuko. "That would be you. Then we force the Firelord into ending the war!" Zuko stared at him.

"And how do you expect to do that?" He said. "My father won't end this war just because you have me. As you can see," he nodded towards the ship that was following them. "He has his own plans."

"Guys," Toph cut in, "we can figuer this out later. Right now, we need to get away from Azula."

"Toph's right," Katara said. "I suggest we fly higher up and use the clouds as cover." Aang nodded and went to the reigns, pulling on them and making Appa fly higher. Soon they had vanished into the clouds.

* * *

"Princess Azula!" One of the Dai Li agents called. "We've lost sight of The Avatar."

"What!" She snapped. "How?" The agent backed away.

"Well-he-um- It would appear that he went int the clouds," he stuttered. Azula sighed.

"No matter," she said. "We'll find him. And that pathetic excuse for a prince, Zuko." The agent nodded.

"Yes, Princess Azula," he said. "Um-if you don't mind me asking, what are we going to do when we find them?" Azula looked at him.

"You and the other agents will capture The Avatar and his friends," she said. "I'll take care of my brother."

* * *

"So now what?" Zuko asked. "We fly around until Azula finds us again?"

"Why should you care?" Katara asked. "Shouldn't you _want_ your sister to find us?" Zuko sighed and looked at the ocean.

"Azula and I don't exactly get along," he said. "We never have."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Sokka cut in, "Zuko's right. It's getting late and we can't fly forever. Look," he pointed down. "There's an island right over there. We can camp out there and figure out the rest of our plan."

"Sounds good to me," Aang said. He pulled on the reigns again and Appa headed towards the island. The landed in a forest and started to unpack.

"Who needs to watch Zuko first?" Katara asked.

"I'll do it," Sokka said. "Catching him was my idea, so I'll take the first watch." The others grumbled in agreement and each one went to sleep. Soon, despite his assurance that he would watch the prince, Sokka too fell asleep. Zuko looked at the group and sighed. He needed to find a way to escape, preferable one that didn't include Azula. Glancing over at Sokka, he could see his dual swords leaning against a tree. He looked around to make sure everyone was asleep before quietly moving towards them. He knocked them out of their holder and tried to cut through the rocks binding his hands together. To his chagrin, it didn't work. He sighed and leaned back against the tree. It looked as though he would need to wait to make his escape.


	4. Escape

Hours passed and still Zuko was unable to get to sleep. He stayed awake until finally dawn arrived. Slowly, everyone else at the camp started to awaken. To Zuko's amusement, Sokka was the last to wake up.

"Sokka!" Katara yelled, kicking her sleeping brother. "Wake up!" Sokka awoke with a start and leapt to his feet, sword ready.

"What's wrong!" He asked. "Ae we under attack!"

"No," Katara said irratably. "But you did fall asleep! Weren't you supposed to be watching our prisoner?"

"I was watching him!" Sokka yelled back.

"Until you fell asleep!" Katara snapped. "We need him to end this war. What if he escaped?" This went back and forth for quite a while. Finally, Zuko cleared his throat.

"I don't mean to be a bother," he said. "But I need to, um, _relieve_ myself." They looked at him awkwardly.

"Alright," Katara said. "Toph, you're an earthbender. Take him into the woods over there." Zuko looked at Katara then at Toph.

"But she's a girl," he said, obviously uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Sparky," Toph said, pulling him to his feet. "I'm blind as a badgermole. I won't see a thing."

"Alright," Zuko said, heading off towards the bushes with Toph following close behind him. Soon he stopped walking.

"This looks good," he said. Toph nodded and bent the rocks away from his hands. The moment his hands were free, an idea came into Zuko's head. he spun around and sent a blast of fire in the direction of the young earthbender. While she was distracted, Zuko turned and fled. He raced through the forest, his heart pounding and his chest heaving for breath. He needed to find a way back home that didn't include his sister. He didn't trust her to let him live if she found him. Behind him, he could hear The Avatar and his friends chasing after him. He kept running until he reached a small cliff. Taking a deep breath, Zuko ran towards the cliff and leapt over the gap, landing with a thud on the other side. He got to his feet and kept running.

He ran for waht felt like hours before exhaustion came over him. By now it was high noon, and he dared to hope that he had escaped The Avatar. Now he just needed to find a port and a ship that could bring him back home. At that moment a sickening thought came into his head. If his Father had sent Azula, then he must have known what had happened. Which meant he probably knew that The Avatar still lived. He swallowed, wondering what awaited him when he got back home. What if his Father decided to punish him for his failure, for the lie. His hand went up to his scar, his breath quickening. Swallowing another gulp of air, he sat down, his chest rising and falling with every ragged breath, his heart pounding in his ear. Finally, the previous night overcame him and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"We have a problem," Toph said as she raced back to the camp. "Zuko escaped."

"What?" Katara gasped. "How?"

"He attack me the moment his hands were free," Toph said. "I should have seen it coming."

"Well," Sokka said. "He couldn't have gotten far. Let's chase him down and catch him again." Everyone nodded and raced after the prince. But apparently Zuko's desire to escape outweighed their desire to capture him. By the time noon had rolled around, they had lost sight of him.

"We can't give up," Sokka said. "It's a small island, he's got to be here somewhere. We just need to keep looking until we find him."

* * *

Time passed and Zuko awoke from his rest. He looked up and determine from the position of the son that a few hours had passed. And that The Avatar and his friends had failed to find him. Getting to his feet, he continued to walk. He had walked for a few minutes when suddenly something dropped down from the trees in front of him. There was the sound of metal against metal and the prince soon found himself cornered, with two hooked swords criss-crossed against his throat.

**Remember when I said I would take one detour from Cannon? This is it.**


End file.
